1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus restricting image formation of printing data that includes information such as personal information or specific information, possibly causing inconveniences by printing the specific information in a printed material.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, because printing is executed without restricting printing data even where including specific information such as personal information, there are risks that the specific information could be divulged. Various techniques have been tried to prevent this problem, for example, cancellation of the printing process in a case where prohibited information is included in the printing data (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Publication 2005-169672).
In the image forming apparatus described in the above published patent gazette, however, in a case where printing data includes specific information prohibited from being printed, printing cannot be executed based on inclusion of this data, thereby raising a problem that that the user cannot receive the desired printed material.
It is an objective of the present invention, in consideration of the above situation, to provide an image forming apparatus that can print material by which specific information is not revealed without prohibiting printing, even where the printing data contains information that causes problems by printing specific information.
The image forming apparatus contains a reception unit for receiving printing data, a primary storage unit for storing the printing data received by the reception unit, a secondary storage unit for storing specific information included in the printing data, a specific information detection unit for detecting from the printing data stored in the primary storage unit the specific information stored in the secondary storage unit, an image formation unit for executing image formation based on the printing data stored in the primary storage unit, and a data processing unit for restricting the image formation of the specific information detected by the specific information detection unit.
Through the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the specific information to be restricted is stored in a secondary storage unit and a specific information detection unit detects the specific information. By restricting the image formation of the detected specific information, the image can be formed in which the image of the specific information is not formed. Accordingly, the image formation apparatus of the present invention provides an image forming apparatus that can print material by which specific information is not revealed without prohibiting printing, even where the printing data contains specific information.
Furthermore, the image forming apparatus contains a reception unit for receiving printing data, a primary storage unit for storing the printing data received by the reception unit, a secondary storage unit for storing specific information included in the printing data, a specific information detection unit for detecting from the printing data stored in the primary storage unit the specific information stored in the secondary storage unit, an image formation unit for executing image formation based on the printing data stored in the primary storage unit, and a data processing unit for restricting the image formation of printing data of a prescribed area in a range of the specific information detected by the specific information detection unit.
Through the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the specific information to be restricted is stored in a secondary storage unit and a specific information detection unit detects the specific information. By restricting the image formation of the detected specific information and the printing data of the prescribed area in the range of the specific information, the image can be formed in which the image of the specific information and the printing data of the prescribed area in the range of the specific information is not formed. Accordingly, the image formation apparatus of the present invention provides an image forming apparatus that can print material by which specific information and printing data of the prescribed area in the range of the specific information is not revealed without prohibiting printing, even where the printing data contains specific information.
By detecting information to be restricted in the printing data and restricting the image formation of the detected specific information, the image forming apparatus of the present invention can form the image in which the image of the specific information is not formed. Accordingly, the image formation apparatus of the present invention can print material by which specific information is not revealed without prohibiting printing, even where the printing data contains specific information.